HTTPS cert-based auth for distribution point : what file format is expected?

Olivier
New Contributor II

Hi all,

Our infra runs fine already with the HTTP-based distribution point feature, but we would like to enhance it with SSL and certificate based authentication.

JAMF web interface is awaiting a certificate I can upload with "Upload certificate" button, to allow jamf agent to access the web server. Per my understanding, this is a client-based auth, so I must generate a "client certificate" with openssl, that I upload to JAMF web interface, that will be passed later to SelfService, so it can authenticate to my HTTPS Distribution Point.

As it is a client cert, a private key part must be inside this file.

When uploading the cert, it seems JAMF web interface only checks for the filename extension, and allow any file, as long as the extension is *.cer... (bad...).

Unfortunately, I did couple of tests with the file I uploaded (PKCS12 format file with empty password, or only private key part Base-64 encoded, and so on...), but was not about to make it work. In Wireshark, I see my webserver shows its server cert, but the jamf agent never sent the client cert it got from JAMF backend.

I see jamf/SelfService trying to do sth with openssl : "openssl pkcs12 -export -out client.p12 -inkey client.cer -in client.cer -password pass:51D390F9-14ED-4553-9AB6-D0D0259DB508".

It seems it tries to extract the private key part from the file I uploaded...

Not sure if anyone tried this setup and had success... but I would appreciate to know what is really expected in the file I need to upload, as there is nothing in the documentation about it.

4 REPLIES 4

LRZ_Jamf
Contributor

No answer yet ? :-(

Olivier
New Contributor II

Unfortunately, I was told that this feature will be removed in a future version.

I have the feeling we were the only one company who wanted to use HTTPS client certificate authentication, so maybe it never worked from the beginning and it is now too much effort to fix this, knowing that it will soon disappear...

We finally gave up with client cert auth, and are using a username/password auth to restrict access to the HTTPS DP.

LRZ_Jamf
Contributor
We finally gave up with client cert auth, and are using a username/password auth to restrict access to the HTTPS DP.

Thats what we are doing currently too, still it would have been a cleaner thing doing it via Certs.
(As probably every other ClientManagementSoftware does...)

jacopo_pulici
Contributor

Resurrecting this thread.
I'm hitting the same problem: I'd like to implement cert authentication on the HTTPS dp.
Anyone has advices?